New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Florence + The Machine have announced a new album, 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful,' and shared two videos accompanying the announcement - first, the nearly-instrumental 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful', and then the official video for 'What Kind of Man', a full-force ear-pinning anthem of uplifting defiance which is the first single from her third album.
The new album is Florence's first since 2011's 'Ceremonials.' Its 11 songs were written and recorded throughout 2014 and produced by Markus Dravs (Björk, Coldplay). Where 'Ceremonials' lyrics focused on water, death and escapism, Welch says the new album's themes are more of the here and now. "The new album became about trying to learn how to live, and how to love in the world rather than trying to escape from it," Welch says. "Which is frightening because I'm not hiding behind anything but it felt like something I had to do."
UMPG's Kid Harpoon (who co wrote the Grammy-nominated 'Shake It Out') collaborated on 'Ship to Wreck' during a month-long creative furlough in Los Angeles that also yielded 'What Kind Of Man'. Kid Harpoon is one of a clutch of old collaborator friends who reunited to help marshal these most personal of songs. 'Ceremonials' producer Paul Epworth helped create the album's closing psychedelic blues explosion 'Mother', while the inner-circle of her nearest and dearest was rounded out by her bandmate and long-time studio right-hand-woman Isa Summers, with whom she wrote the epic title track.
"How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful was the first song I wrote for this record, literally as I just came off tour, " Florence explains, "and then I went off and had this incredibly chaotic year, and that all went into the record. But in the end, the feeling of How Big How Blue is what I came back to."
"The trumpets at the end of that song - that's what love feels like to me. An endless brass section that goes off into space. And it takes you with it. You're so up there. And that's what music feels like to me. You want it just to pour out endlessly, and it's the most amazing feeling." It's alchemy. It's magic. It's the return of Florence + The Machine.
New album 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful' - released June 1st 2015 on Island Records.
Tracklist:
Ship To Wreck
What Kind Of Man
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Queen Of Peace Various Storms & Saints
Delilah
Long & Lost
Caught
Third Eye
St Jude
Mother
